


Not Enough

by TheRedPaladin101



Series: Dark Lance (Voltron) [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Bad Ending, Dark Lance (Voltron), Hurt Keith (Voltron), M/M, Non-Consensual Touching, Possessive Behavior, Protective Shiro (Voltron), Sexual Content, ending was rushed, no happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-20 08:08:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14890769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRedPaladin101/pseuds/TheRedPaladin101
Summary: Keith and Lance are back home, safe and sound. However, Keith slowly begins to realize how possessive Lance really is over him, and begins to dislike it. But he let it go on for too long, and the results aren't what he wanted.





	Not Enough

**Author's Note:**

> Official sequel to [Too Far](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11467155)  
> Must read that one first to understand what happened to Keith and Lance.

Keith's fist connected with the punching bag harshly, sending it back a few inches before it came back to meet his other fist, going through the same process. Sweat rolled down his face and back, his see-through tank-top he borrowed from an old Altean closet sticking to his skin, outlining his muscles on his chest and stomach. His gloves covered his knuckles so they didn't split, jaw locked as he grunted and breathed heavily through his nose.

He hasn't been able to exercise like this for quite awhile since the events that took place on that Galra ship. He couldn't bring himself too. That sparring session with Shiro that one day was too much. When Lance lashed out, it scared him too much. He couldn't spar again. Keith punched the bag harder, the rippling white and blue transparent leather swishing with thick liquid inside. Coran had recently brought this up during training, and Keith thought he should use it sometime.

When Lance had decided to practice on his close range shooting, Keith was able to slip away to this room to train by himself. He knew Lance didn't like it when he was by himself. He knew he didn't like it when Lance wasn't even near him. But Keith needed some moments alone, no matter how much he was thankful for Lance to be there for him. Keith couldn't even remember the last time he spoke to Shiro about what happened without Lance answering for him.

Kissing his teeth with his tongue, Keith stepped back and spun in a circle, his foot flying up and slamming against the side of the bag. It flew to the side, hitting the wall before bouncing back. Keith panted and stepped back, picking up his pouch of water to take a quick swig. When he set the pouch down, he squeaked when he felt slim arms settle on his hips, a chest pressing against his sweaty back. A soft and gentle voice spoke in his ear, full of love and concern. "Keith, babe, what are you doing out here? I thought you were watching me train."

Keith relaxed and leaned back into Lance's embrace. No matter how hot it was right now, he really did like the feeling of safety - which he felt in Lance's arms. "Sorry... I needed some time alone, you know?"

"Should've told me," Lance swayed with him gently. "I thought something happened again." Keith shivered, setting his hands over Lance's. Lance smiled and turned Keith around, gaze lidded. "Don’t scare me like that again, okay?" Keith nodded numbly, letting Lance intertwine their hands. How long has it been? Three months? Three months since they came back to the castle. Keith only sparred once and he has yet to actually go on a mission with the team again. He hasn't spent more than an hour without Lance.

Lance looked him up and down, tracing his fingers over the outline of his muscles. Keith shuddered, stepping back at the feeling over being exposed. Lance smiled gently, pulling him back so his lips hovered over Keith's. Eyes fluttering shut, Keith couldn't help but lean up and kiss Lance back.

Soon Keith's shirt was on the ground, his back pressed against the wall. Lance's hands trailed over his body, lips leaving soft but hot kisses along his skin. Keith tangled his fingers into Lance's hair, tilting his head back against the wall. He didn't make much noise, watching with a sort of numbness as Lance pulled his jeans down to kiss and lick at his pale thighs. Keith only barely flinched. It didn't bother him anymore. Lance was always gentle with him when it came to activities like this. He never pushed him past his limits, staying soft and gentle as he praised him for doing so good while he thrust so slow into Keith.

Keith doesn't even remember how this all started. That first night Lance asked if he would join him, Keith declined and went to bed. Lance asked again a week later, and Keith said he'd think about it. Lance asked again two days later, and Keith let him.

After that, it just morphed into a relationship of some sort. Keith never denied anything Lance wanted. He couldn't bring himself to. Lance, however, never pushed his limits. He didn't force him to have sex or to even cuddle with him. The only thing he controlled - in Keith's opinion - was where Keith was. If Lance went somewhere, he brought Keith with him. If Keith wanted to go somewhere, Lance would follow, and probably would take him somewhere else in the end.

Keith never argued or fought against Lance. He couldn't. He wouldn't. He knew Lance wouldn't do anything he didn't want, so why fight back against something you don't mind?

When Keith picked up his shirt after Lance finished him off, he saw Lance looking around the room with a look of displeasure. Keith winced and looked away, pulling his shirt over his head, covering up what it could even though it was mostly see-through. Lance intertwined their hands and dragged him out, humming a soft tune as they headed for Keith's room. When was the last time Lance slept in his own room?

In the dark of the room, Keith now wore Lance's shirt and only his boxers. Lance set up the small Altean glow stick Coran gave Keith two months ago. It glowed red and pulsed with Keith's heartbeat, the object connected with him. This benefit Lance in many ways. If Keith was having a nightmare, the stick would rapidly blink, telling Lance Keith's heartbeat was going crazy. Even during sex, he used it to make sure he wasn't pushing his limits since Keith refused to say anything. For Keith, it was used to show him everything in his room. It glowed bright enough to outline everything in red, but wasn't bright enough to bother him when he was trying to sleep.

Lance held his arms out as an invite to Keith, raising his eyebrows his question. Keith stared at him for a moment before turning and rolling into his arms, his face pressed against his chest. Lance smiled and threaded his fingers through his hair, pressing his lips to his temple. "Good night, Keith."

Keith didn't say anything.

 

"Are you sure you want to?" Shiro asked, pulling on his own shirt he took off earlier while practicing on his own. Keith nodded, fiddling with the tank-top he wore the day before. Shiro flexed his right hand, the lines glowing purple for a moment. "Okay, we'll take it slow. Stay with defense for now till you're comfortable with offense." Keith nodded again, pulling on his gloves. He could do this. He can't rely on Lance forever. He has to man up and be a paladin.

Keith didn't know why he was afraid to fight. When he was tortured, he wasn't even given the choice to fight back. It couldn't have been the last torturing he received - it had nothing to do with combat. Sparring was so simple, so why couldn't he do it?

It was easy at first. Shiro took a few swings and Keith dodged them. He even threw in a few of his own punches. Shiro guided him through the whole thing until Keith began lunging forward for a hit. It morphed into what their old sparring sessions used to look like - both sweating and panting as they moved in circles, jumping closer to punch or kick at one another. Keith fell into the rhythm, almost smiling whenever he managed to land a hit on Shiro.

When Shiro ducked under his leg as Keith tried to kick him, he grabbed his bicep and pulled Keith into a headlock. Keith was just about to use his old trick of getting out of the headlock when Shiro's arms disappeared, followed up by a cry of surprise. Keith blinked and spun around, eyes going wide when he saw Lance pining Shiro to the ground, rage burning in his eyes. He had Shiro's left arm pinned against his back, Lance's elbow digging into one of his shoulder blades. "Lance, wait!" Keith jumped forward, hands almost shoving him off. But he stopped.

Lance lifted his head, eyes softening just a bit. "Keith, he was hurting you." Shiro grunted and quickly rolled when Lance's grip loosened, yanking his arm from his hold and pinning Lance down instead. Keith took a step back, conflicted. Was he supposed to help Lance or let Shiro take care of this? Lance growled and glared up at Shiro. "You shouldn't hurt Keith."

"I wasn't," Shiro said calmly. He let go of Lance and stood up. "We were sparring, Lance. Keith asked me to spar with him." Lance blinked and looked at Keith, eyes narrowed. Keith flinched, and Shiro noticed. He grabbed Lance's shoulder and gave him a stern look. "Lance, don't look at Keith like that. He's allowed to do whatever he wants."

Lance looked back at Shiro, shoulders losing tension. A mix of emotions crossed his face, but he settled on a look of shame. He nodded and sighed, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Yeah.. Yeah, you're right. Sorry." Shiro let go of his shoulder, looking at Keith. Lance smiled softly at Keith and held an arm out, eyes soft and apologetic. Or.. at least Keith thinks they're apologetic. He couldn't really tell. Either way, he still ended up in Lance's arms, exhaustion coming down on him from hours of training. He shook his head when Shiro asked if he wanted dinner, finding Lance's warmth a little too addicting right now.

Keith was asleep before they reached his room.

 

Keith was finally alone again the next day, holding his knees to his chest as he sat under Red’s claws, her warmth enveloping him completely. He woke up before Lance did - actually before most of the team - and found his way into the Red Lion hangar. Her thoughts flowed into his, and he felt safe again. 

He ran his fingertips along the edge of one of her claws, smiling slightly when he heard faint purring. Red secretly loved his attention, and Keith knew it. He felt a little guilty for not being here for a while. Lance usually pulled him into the Blue Lion hangar, and rarely let Keith into here. Keith knows Lance didn’t mean to keep him from his lion, but he ended up doing it anyway. Red didn’t seem to like the new arrangement. 

“Miss me, girl?” Keith asked softly, resting his forehead against her claw. Red rumbled softly above him, the ground shaking as she moved. Keith peered up at her when she moved her paw, watching her lean down and nudge him with her jaw. He laughed when he fell over onto his side, the tiny little nudge way too strong for him. Red then opened her jaws and settled down, the doors to the cockpit opening in the back of her mouth. Keith beamed, getting up and walking into his lion.

The cockpit glowed red as he walked inside, the screen staying black ahead of him. Keith smiled and sat down in the pilot seat, the familiar comforting warmth covering him again. He missed this just as much as Red did. He grabbed the controls and grinned, moving them around a bit just for fun. Red walked around the hangar, following his small movements without actually flying. 

Keith left when Coran came to check what the noise was. Shiro and Hunk were awake as well, chatting quietly as Hunk began making breakfast for the ship. “So I was thinking we should all do some close combat training today since we haven't in awhile.” 

Hunk chuckled, setting aside the mix he had going. “I guess it's a good idea. Pidge might complain.” 

“I hear combat training?” Keith spoke up as he walked into the kitchen, hopping up onto the counter beside Hunk. Shiro hummed and looked down at the dark blue mixture, raising an eyebrow.

“Uh, yeah, I was thinking- okay, why did it move?” The other two turned and looked at the mixture. 

Hunk carefully grabbed the bowl and dropped it in the sink. “Back to square one…” 

Shiro chuckled and looked back at Keith, setting his arms on the counter. “But yeah, I'm thinking about spending a few hours in close combat to sharpen our moves.” 

Keith grinned, swinging his legs a bit. “Sweet. I'm feeling a bit slow lately anyway.” 

Shiro hummed. “I thought so. How have you been lately? Haven't been able to talk to you since…” Hunk looked over his shoulder at Shiro, shaking his head a bit. Keith shrugged, poking one of the plates of food goo.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” he said, stealing one of the cookies Hunk already made. “I've been… busy, you know?” 

Shiro cocked his head to the side. “I see. Lance treating you okay?” 

Hunk looked at Keith curiously. Keith took a small bite of the cookie, thinking that through. “Yeah, he is. A little possessive here and there, but he doesn't do anything I don't want.” 

Hunk and Shiro looked at each other. Hunk cleared his throat and walked over to Keith, standing in front of him. “So, he's okay and all? I mean… he's been really weird lately, Keith. It's like he's a completely different person.” Keith winced, taking another small bite of the cookie. Hunk frowned, leaning back against the counter across from Keith. “Hey, you can tell us if he's doing something weird.” 

“He's not…” Keith shook his head, closing his eyes. “I just… I don't know,” he sighed, rubbing his face. “Lance _is_ a little weird… B-But he's not doing anything bad, I promise.” 

“What about yesterday?” Shiro spoke up, frowning as well. “When he looked at you, you literally flinched as if he was going to hit you.” 

Keith shook his head, dropping his cookie. His hands were starting to shake. “He doesn't hit me, Shiro! He doesn't do anything to me, okay?!” 

The two jumped at his outburst. Keith hugged himself, his breathing turning ragged. “Lance doesn't do anything bad! Lance doesn't do anything bad!” 

Shiro stepped closer, reaching for his shoulder. “Keith-” 

Keith jerked away, almost falling off the counter. Hunk moved and grabbed him instead, steadying him. “Keith, look at me. It's okay, we didn't say Lance did anything bad. Calm down, buddy. It's okay.” 

Keith sniffed, nodding slowly. He felt Shiro rub his back gently, pulling Keith's hair out of his face. “Yeah, I'm sorry, Keith. I didn't mean to scare you.” 

Hunk helped Keith off the counter, not expecting Keith to bury his face in his chest, gripping onto his shirt tightly. Hunk shared a look with Shiro before moving to lead Keith out of the kitchen. 

“Hey, what happened here?” Hunk and Keith looked up, stopping in their tracks at the sight of Lance. Lance stood there, arms crossed, looking from Hunk to Keith to Shiro and back. “Are you okay, Keith?” 

Keith nodded, his grip loosening on Hunk’s shirt. Shiro watched Lance closely, who was watching Keith closely. Hunk reluctantly let go of Keith when he moved towards Lance, falling into his embrace. Lance held him close, running his fingers through his hair. “Did something happen?” 

“No,” Hunk shook his head, staying calm. “No, he just had a small panic attack. He's okay.” 

Lance nodded, frowning and kissing the top of Keith's head. Shiro cleared his throat. “So, we're gonna start training after breakfast. Better be there, you two.” 

“Training?” Lance raised an eyebrow, but Keith lifted his head and nodded. 

“Roger that, Shiro,” he cracked a small smile, pulling away from Lance. “Looking forward to it.” 

The whole team gathered on the training deck after Pidge actually pulled herself out of bed. Just like Shiro said, they all practiced close combat with their own partners. Hunk and Pidge, Lance and Keith, Shiro and Allura. Up in the top room, Coran watched over them, making sure nothing bad happened. 

Keith was getting frustrated. Lance wasn't fighting back. _At all._ He just kept dodging Keith's hits and kicks with ease, not even attempting to strike back. Keith gritted his teeth, his punches growing more frantic. His kicks becoming faster. He landed only a few hits in Lance. Not only could he barely hit this guy, but he wasn't fighting back! 

“Dammit, Lance!” Keith finally stopped, steaming. The others stopped and looked over. “Hit me back! Do something instead of treating me like I'm glass! I'm not defenseless!” 

Lance widened his eyes and stepped back, holding his hands up. “Keith, I don't want to hurt you-” 

“Why?! We are sparring so we can get better!” Keith snapped. “I'm tired of you treating me like I'm a little kid! I get it! I was tortured and raped and completely defenseless, but I'm not anymore! So stop treating me like it happened yesterday!” 

Everyone stared at him in silence. Lance stood completely still, eyes wide. Keith was shaking, shoulders hunched up and eyes narrowed. As the silence continued, Keith felt dread wave over him, stepping back away from Lance. 

“Keith…” Lance lowered his arms. “Keith, I didn't… I didn't mean to…” 

“I think that's enough for today,” Allura spoke up, walking over and grabbing Keith's shoulders. Lance tensed, fingers curling into fists. Allura leveled him with a narrowed look, as if daring him to take a step closer. She gently tugged Keith to the doors, talking with him quietly. 

The others soon followed, leaving Lance alone on the deck. He stared at the doors, lost in his thoughts. Has he been doing this all wrong? Did Keith really not want to be treated gently? Lance was doing everything he could to make sure Keith was comfortable. Was he actually just annoying him? 

Lance swallowed thickly and headed for the doors. Keith didn't want to be treated like glass? Okay. He can do that. 

 

Keith sat in his room in complete silence, staring at the glowing Altean stick. It pulsed slowly in time with his heart beat, red lining his walls. Keith felt a little nervous. He hasn't slept alone in months. He was pretty sure Lance wouldn't come in here, so Keith wasn't that all excited about going to bed. 

He was surprised though when his doors opened to show the man he wasn't expecting to see. “Lance, what…?” 

Lance didn't say anything. He closed the doors behind him, making Keith's heart jump when he locked them. Lance ignored the Altean glow pulsing brighter as he moved closer. Keith opened his mouth again, but Lance grabbed his jaw and shoulder, shoving him down onto the bed. Keith squeaked, Lance's lips attacking his in a harsh kiss. 

Keith wasn't sure what was happening until Lance's hand pushed his shirt up his chest, the grip on his jaw tightening. Keith whimpered against his lips, pushing against his chest. 

“Lance- what- stop!” Keith gasped out in between Lance's crushing kisses, struggling under him. “Get off-!”

“Shut up,” Lance snapped, pulling away to glare down at him. Keith froze, eyes widening in fear. Lance frowned, releasing his jaw to rub his cheek. “I want you, Keith. Okay? But I will tell you now - I'm not going slow this time.” 

Keith's eyes widened further, starting to tremble. “No… no no, please don't, Lance.” 

Lance narrowed his eyes. “Why? You told me not to treat you like glass. Were you lying?” 

“N-No,” Keith shook his head. “I-I didn't mean like this!” 

“How come it doesn't apply to this as well?” Lance hissed, reaching down and cupping Keith through his jeans harshly. Keith whined, arching his back off the bed. “I bet you'd like it rough anyway. I'd take good care of you, baby.” 

Keith shook his head, pushing at his chest again. “No- Get off of me! I don't want this! Please, Lance!” 

Lance grew more frustrated. What the hell did Keith want with him? He just wants to give him everything, and he doesn't want to be treated how he was before. So why is he fighting back so much with this? 

Keith grew more desperate with every move. When did Lance become stronger than him? Weeks without training probably took a big toll on him, and Lance never stopped. He cried when his jeans were ripped off of him, when Lance pinned his hands down and marked his neck up painfully. He thrashed under Lance, yanking a hand free and clawing at Lance's neck. 

Lance cursed and jolted back, glaring down at Keith. He paused though when he actually took in the sight below him. Keith's cheeks were flushed and wet with tears, hair tangled and splayed across the pillow. He froze under Lance's glare, pupils shrinking in fear. Lance frowned, his glare softening. 

“Hey…” he mumbled, cupping Keith's face. Keith winced, looking up at him. Lance leaned down and kissed him gently, only for a few seconds. “Hey, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. Are you okay?” 

Keith breathed out shakily against his lips, closing his eyes and nodding slowly. “Y-Yeah… I'm okay…” 

“I'm so sorry, baby,” Lance whispered, nuzzling his neck. Keith trembled when Lance pressed his lips to his neck, his skin tingling with pain at the bites and bruises Lance left earlier. “I'm sorry I was mean. I'll take it slow, I promise.” 

Keith shook his head slightly. “No… I-I don't-” 

“Shh, it's okay,” Lance breathed, kissing his ear. “Don't worry. I'll take care of you, I promise.” 

Keith fell silent. His mind went blank as Lance kissed down his neck, dragging his hands along his body. Keith just let him do what he wanted, turning his head to watch the rapidly pulsing Altean light, wincing and letting Lance flip them around so he was straddling Lance. He leaned against his shoulder, eyes focusing in and out on the light as it slowed down to a calm pulse. He barely noticed when Lance began to stretch him open, barely noticed when Lance guided him over his own cock and pull him down. 

Keith drifted back to reality after it was all over. Lance was cuddling behind him, fingers tracing shapes onto his hip as he dozed. Keith lifted himself up onto his elbows, looking around his room in slight confusion. He looked back at Lance, feeling his heartbeat pick up at the Altean light pulsed with it. 

Slipping out from Lance's hold, Keith grabbed his clothes and left the room. He had to get away from Lance for now. He needs Red. He needs Shiro. 

He makes it to Shiro's room first. He doesn't even knock. He walked in and stopped when Shiro rolled over to look at him, his arm glowing just slightly. “Keith?” 

Keith couldn't help it. He covered his mouth and sobbed, squeezing his eyes shut as tears flooded down his cheeks. Shiro was in front of him in seconds, pulling him close and rubbing his back. 

Soon, they ended up on Shiro's bed, leaned back against the wall with Keith buried in Shiro's side. The room stayed silent, the two huddled close together. Shiro ran his fingers through Keith's hair, humming softly to calm Keith down. 

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly, looking down at Keith. Keith nodded slowly, burying his face in his chest. Shiro sighed, wrapping his arms around him. “It'll be okay… You can talk if you want, okay?” Keith nodded again, sniffing and lifting himself off of Shiro.

“C-Can I sleep here tonight?” he asked, rubbing his cheeks clean. Shiro smiled and nodded, shifting until they were both under the blanket with Keith buried in Shiro's embrace. “Thank you, Shiro…” 

Shiro hummed and tightened his hold on him just a bit. “No problem, Keith…” 

 

It was happening. Keith was finally going on a mission with the team again. They were going to sneak into a Galra base and destroy the machine they were building to battle against Voltron. It wasn't hard to get on the base, but the roles applied were different than usual. 

Shiro put Keith on sniping while Lance went with Shiro and Pidge with his own gun. Hunk was to check the ship for prisoners while Keith kept view of the entire base - which wasn't that big - from the top room. He had to use an Altean gun since his bayard couldn't switch to one. Shiro told him he had the easiest part of the mission, so he wouldn't overexert himself on his first mission in months. Keith understood, and was glad Lance taught him how to snipe two months ago. 

Keith watched through the visor as the three paladins worked on unlocking the doors to the secret weapon. Keith had killed two soldiers not long ago, now watching the doors for any other soldiers or bots. Lance looked over his shoulder and smiled at him before turning back, talking to Pidge as she hacked the doors. 

Keith stared at Lance through the visor, the point focusing on the back of his head. Keith watched closely, his finger slowly moving to the trigger. 

He visualized hitting Lance straight on, blood going everywhere. He could hear Pidge screaming, see Shiro immediately looking up at him. Keith felt his lips twitch up, his finger shaking as it pressed close to the trigger. 

Lance, however, turned and smiled back at him again, giving him a thumbs up. Keith's grin slowly fell, lifting his face away from the visor. He rubbed his face and stood up, taking a moment to collect himself and think rationally. 

But then the air cracked with a gunshot, and Keith fell to the ground with a cry of pain. Blood poured out of his stomach, soaking his suit and dripping onto the ground. He heard chaos erupt below, his vision blurring a bit. Gritting his teeth, Keith pulled himself back to his sniper, peering through and finding another sniper across the room, aiming for the others. Lance had a shield up, standing over Pidge. 

Keith almost couldn’t shoot the sniper with how much pain he was in. It took two shots, hitting the Galra’s shoulder then his neck. Keith tipped the gun over onto its side, rolling onto his back to clutch his stomach. Alarms were blaring in the base, shouts of his team and soldiers filling the air. Keith couldn’t move. He could feel the blood bubbling past his fingers, hot and sticky. Tears welled up in his eyes, panic starting to grow as the loud noises continued. 

He heard the doors slam open, an unfamiliar robotic voice hitting his ears. He could see the flash of a gun aiming for him, and he closed his eyes as he awaited the quick death. The doors slammed open again, the crackle of electricity going off after a gunshot. Keith peeked open an eye, both shooting open at the sight of Lance. 

“Keith!” Lance slid down to his knees, grabbing Keith and heaving him onto his lap. “”Keith- oh my God! Say something!”

Keith looked up at him, vision blurring again. He wondered briefly why Lance was crying, why he looked so worried for Keith. He felt fine now. He couldn’t feel the pain anymore. Isn’t that a good thing? Lance had to be fixing the wound or something.

Everything began to fade out into silence, a ringing noise replacing it. Keith gazed up at Lance’s face, watching his mouth move as he shook him almost violently. It didn’t bother him. He just wanted to take a quick nap. 

Lance cried as Keith’s gaze looked past him, dulling slowly as blood trickled past his parted lips. “Keith?! Keith, don’t you dare die on me! Keith, please!” 

No matter how much he shook Keith, his gaze wouldn’t come back to him. Lance pressed his ear to his chest, a scream ripping out of him when he couldn’t hear Keith’s heartbeat. Shiro and Pidge’s voices filled his helmet, asking him what happened and about Keith’s condition. Lance sobbed, clutching Keith to his chest. His blood soaked into his own suit, but Lance didn’t care.

“Lance, answer me! What happened?!” Shiro’s voice popped up again, more desperate than before. Lance hiccuped softly and lifted his head, looking over at the control panel showing the cameras of the base. Hunk was running back to the main part where they were. Pidge and Shiro were running up the stairs to get to the top room where him and Keith were. 

Lance’s face grew cold, setting Keith’s body down on the ground. He walked over to the panel, pressing a few buttons to lock the doors behind him. His fingers flew over the panel, setting up a countdown after clicking the self-destruct button. “I can’t leave Keith alone, guys… He needs me.” 

“What?” Pidge spoke up, huffing for air. “Lance, what are you talking about?” Lance ignored her, walking back over to Keith with a sort of numbness. Keith still needed him. He needed to protect him. 

Sitting down against the wall, Lance pulled Keith’s body to his chest. He must be so scared… all alone in the afterlife. Lance doesn’t know what’s out there, but he will protect Keith from it all. He had to. 

Looking down at Keith’s face, Lance smiled and closed Keith’s eyes, wiping the trail of blood from his lips. He looked so peaceful - as if he was asleep. Lance pressed his lips to his forehead, carding his fingers through his hair. The ticking of the countdown continued, Lance’s eyes finding the numbers displayed. Keith was the one who learned Galran numbers, and showed Lance them before everything happened. 

“Do you count sheep before you sleep, Keith?” Lance whispered, tugging off his own helmet to press their foreheads together. “I sometimes do… Do you want to count together?” Keith didn’t respond. Lance sighed and eyed the panel, frowning when he heard someone trying to open the doors. “I’ll count then… Ten…” 

“Lance, open the doors!” Shiro’s voice popped up, metal scraping against metal. Lance saw the doors creak open just a bit.

“Nine… eight… seven…” Lance continued, holding Keith protectively. “Six… five… four…” The doors broke open more, and Lance could see Pidge and Shiro on the other side. He could hear Hunk’s footsteps coming closer, but it was already too late. Lance smiled sweetly, closing his eyes. “Three… two… one…”

In a flash, everything turned white, a big bang silencing everything else, and then there was nothing.


End file.
